Saving Christmas
by LilyGhost
Summary: When it looks like Christmas isn't going to happen for Stephanie again, Ranger takes the holiday into his own hands and allows them both to finally enjoy one. A Ranger POV story.


**Everybody familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are mine. Happy Holidays! **

"Merry fucking Christmas to me," I heard from the foyer, as Stephanie entered her apartment.

I'd let myself in ten minutes ago, and was currently sitting in a chair in her living room, waiting for her to notice me. She's always liked the idea of Christmas, but I knew she never fully enjoyed it because she was too busy criticizing herself for not getting anything done until the last minute. This year was no different. Her apartment was devoid of everything, not just decorations. I'd checked her cabinets and refrigerator before I sat down. Some might call that intrusive, Stephanie being the first one, but we both have accepted long ago that nothing about her is off limits to me, even when she should've been.

According to Ella, Steph is worried about scraping up enough money for rent, food, and gifts for her family. And she's also been driving herself crazy trying to come up with ideas on how to make me less 'Grinchy' this year. So I understood her frustration with the holiday children spend the entire year waiting for.

I watched her dump her bag by Rex's cage and shed her jacket with a defeated sigh. She rubbed the nape of her neck distractedly before turning.

"_Shit, Ranger!_" She said, in a not pleased tone. "You scared the crap out of me. I could've shot you, you know."

"You would've had to have your gun in your hand, and been pulling the trigger before you made it into the living room, to get a shot off at me."

"Because you're just that good?"

"Yes."

She sighed again, and I pulled her into my arms. Partly to make her feel better, but mostly just so I could feel her soft curves along my body again.

"While this has been the kind of day that needed a superhero hug, I'm sure there's another reason you broke into my apartment again."

"I don't need a reason aside from seeing you, but I do have one."

She tipped her head back. "Should I be scared?"

"No. You should be happy enough to want to throw yourself at me."

"Now I'm _really _curious. What's up?"

"I'm here to give you an advance on a position I need you to fill."

She immediately stiffened.

"That's sweet and all, but I don't take _petty _cash or _pity _cash."

"Glad to hear it, because I don't want someone working for me who would."

Her eyes didn't stray from mine. She was looking for any sign of charity. She's harder to do things for than I am.

"So this is a sound business decision? You're not just trying to give me money because someone told you I was struggling a little?"

"I wouldn't risk my company by hiring someone who would be a liability. I need _you_. One, because I know I can trust you. Two, because you're a woman. You've said so yourself that we need a woman on staff to handle female FTAs, safety concerns specifically relating to female clients, and I think Rangeman needs someone like you to represent us to the public so we can't be accused of sexism."

"Your company isn't discriminatory. You just haven't found the right woman to fill all those roles."

"You're wrong. I've had a woman in mind ever since I started this company. I was just waiting for the right time to spring it on her."

"And this is it?"

"Yes. And if you agree to it soon, we'll have time to hit the mall and make a dent in your first paycheck."

Her mouth opened in shock. I'm not surprised. _I'm _just as shocked that I suggested entering holiday hell for her.

"You're coming to the mall with me?" She asked.

"Yes."

I knew the amount of pain and aggravation I was about to endure was worth it when Stephanie smiled at me like that.

"What do you know, Christmas miracles do happen," she told me.

What the hell did I just agree to? Instead of wasting time analyzing my motives, I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck and kissed her long and hard. She moved even closer so she was touching me from breast to thigh, and clutched two fistfuls of my jacket in her own hands. I can think of plenty of things I'd rather be doing with her than shopping, but I wanted her able to fully enjoy the time I have planned for her. And clearing her mind of everything except me would help her do that.

I put a couple of inches between us after one final kiss, so my body wouldn't tell my brain to go fuck itself just so I could fuck her.

"Get your coat back on before I decide we aren't leaving," I told her.

"I appreciate the shopping offer, but I'm not going to make you follow through with it. You hate the mall."

"No one _makes _me do anything. Get your things."

"You're bossy," she told me.

"With you, I have to be."

I held her jacket for her, then took her key and locked the door behind us as we left her apartment. I drove us to Quaker Bridge and spent the next hour and a half trying not to shoot every asshole who ventured too close to us. Why anyone would consider this an enjoyable pastime - _now _or any other time - I hadn't a fucking clue.

"Stop with the Terminator stare," Steph ordered me, while we were standing in what I hope to hell is the last checkout line. "You're scaring people."

"That was the idea. If they're scared of me, they'll stay out of our way."

She laughed. "I shouldn't find that funny, but it does seem to be working. Nobody's tried to shove me out of the way to get the last of something. That's a first. After I pay for this stuff, I'll have just about everybody taken care of. Thank you."

"No thanks are needed."

Except from maybe the countless people I'd come close to putting in the morgue today.

"Yeah, right. Just let me say thank you for the job, the money, the ride here, and the company, okay?"

"You're welcome. Would you like to have dinner on seven to pay me back?"

"I'm pretty sure that would be yet another gift to me."

"It's a mutual gift. So that's a yes?"

"Of course. Do you have something to do first? Or should we head to Rangeman from here?"

"I cleared my schedule for the day, so I'm all yours."

She looked away from me, and when her blue eyes came back to meet mine, I could see a hint of a blush forming. The fact that she can still blush around me had me wanting to keep one there permanently.

"That's probably not a good thing to tell me," she said.

"Why?"

"Because I can think of a whole bunch of things to do with you."

"Such as?"

"Such as ... having you help me wrap all of this."

"I'll pass, but I will watch _you _wrap them and not tell you how to do it better."

Her mouth widened into a smile. "I'll take that ... along with whatever Ella comes up with for food."

"She mentioned making dessert this time, but I didn't question her."

"How can you not ask about dessert? Wait ... you're _you_, so you wouldn't care, but I certainly do."

Steph paid for the last of her gifts, and I walked with her from the mall to the Turbo, carrying her bags in one hand with my other arm around her shoulders. I put her purchases in the back and used the drive across town to anticipate her reaction to my next surprise. I parked in the underground garage, and she waved to the men manning the control room monitors while I picked up her things before we headed upstairs.

I unlocked my door, but let her enter the apartment ahead of me. I tried not to smile as she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what Ella had been up to, which was a separate request than tonight's dinner.

"I don't believe what I'm seeing," she said, taking in the changes. "Was Santa FTA and found himself locked up here with nothing to do?"

"This had more to do with you and Ella, Babe, than Santa."

"You had Ella decorate your apartment for me?"

"Yes. It was easier than torching your place and starting over from the ground up."

"My place isn't _that _bad, it's just a little outdated."

"Rex's soup can is more livable than your apartment," I told her.

"Not everyone is lucky enough to live in a penthouse."

"Which is why I'm sharing mine with you."

"It is beautiful," she said, walking further into the hall.

With Ella in charge of all things jovial, my living room had been transformed into what looked like a high-end store window. I'm now the owner of a seven foot tall tree with white lights, champagne-colored ribbons wrapped horizontally around it at one foot intervals until it reached the angel she'd perched on its top. There were evenly spaced glass ornaments in a matte gold or red decorating the sections between the ribbons, and poinsettias in the same off white material as the ribbon breaking up the monotony of red and gold.

She'd also added matching garlands around all the doors, windows, and entryways. Plus, put red and white poinsettias on every available flat surface throughout the place. It's clear that I should have set some limits, but Stephanie seemed to like it, so I knew I'd leave everything alone for the time being.

"It's just a tree," I told her, trying to see the apartment through her eyes.

"It's a work of art," she said, not hiding the fact that she thought I was insane and not appreciating Ella's handiwork appropriately.

"One that would be wasted on me alone."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard that you've been stressing yourself out thinking of a gift for me ..."

"Ella must be chatty when she decorates."

"I'm glad she told me. Now I can tell _you ... _that the only thing I'm asking for is your agreement to spend Christmas with me this year."

Her eyes shot to me. "Don't you have to visit your family?"

"There are all kinds of family, but if you want, you can meet mine on Christmas Eve."

"_Holy crap, Batman!_"

My lips twitched in amusement. "Do I take that to mean you're interested?"

"I'm _very _interested. In both offers. I'll have to figure out something to wear if I'm going to be face-to-face with the creators of the Man of Mystery."

"What you're wearing now would be fine."

"No friggin' way. Jeans aren't even close to being good enough."

I ran my eyes the entire length of her. The denim was hugging her body to perfection.

"_Those _are."

"Very funny. But looks like I'm heading back to the mall."

"Tonight?"

"No. We have dinner plans, don't we?"

"We do. Ella should be here in about thirty minutes."

"Good. Then I'll be able to tell her how amazing she is. What should we do until then?"

"You need to ask?"

"I'm not having sex with you _before _dinner even gets here. I've never been _that _easy," she told me.

"You'd never be considered easy ... in any meaning of the word."

She elbowed me.

"What if we put my table to good use ...?" I started to say.

"_Ranger _..."

"To wrap your gifts on, Babe. I don't know where _your _mind went."

Though _my _mind has been stuck in the same place since I first laid eyes on her.

"Oh, that's a good idea."

"Then we can drop them off at your parents' house after dinner so I'll have you all to myself for the next couple of days."

"Since when are you interested in holidays?"

"They serve a purpose if I get you spending them with me."

"You're trying to talk my panties off me, aren't you?" She asked.

Her mouth said she was teasing, but her eyes were dead serious.

"No," I told her. "But I'm not opposed to them coming off."

She rolled her eyes, but the concern was gone and her smile had turned genuine.

"Let's get started then," I said. "And before you ask, I'm waiting in the car when you drop the gifts off. I already survived hell once today."

"Chicken," she told me.

"Sticks and stones, Babe. Your grandmother would scare Satan himself."

"If you tell her that, she'll be too busy beaming to cop a feel."

"I'll help you wrap everything if you stop talking about your grandmother copping anything of mine."

"Deal."

I collected all her bags, then grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the kitchen.

Christmas Eve came two days after our dinner. I'd managed to put off the inevitable Plum visit for a day, with a Pino's sub promise. I had every intention of remaining in the car, but in the end, I once again offered to join her. My generosity was self-serving. I didn't want Helen to guilt her into canceling on me.

"I'll be fine," Stephanie assured me.

"I know, but I'm not willing to take a chance on my plans getting screwed with."

"You're going to intimidate my mother like you did those shoppers, aren't you?"

"If she proves to be difficult. She can't have you this Christmas, and I have no problem informing her of that."

Turns out, I didn't have to do any threatening. When Helen mentioned Christmas dinner, I calmly told her that Stephanie had already agreed to spend the holiday with me and my family, and I wasn't inclined to share her. The shocked silence that followed, led me to believe that it was something Morelli would never have said to her, which made the look on Mrs. Plum's face that much sweeter. We didn't stay long enough to finish the coffee we were given, and Steph had opted to have a salad with me instead of clogging up her arteries with a meatball sub, when we stopped at Pino's before I dropped her off at her apartment.

She's changed a lot in only a few days. She joked with the men, but took every job she was given seriously. She still ate too much junk in my opinion, but would reluctantly add something plant-based if I insisted. She was obviously nervous about meeting my family, yet she's excited to be invited over.

My parents were also looking forward to the visit. I had called to say that Stephanie would be accompanying me to dinner. I had to resist doing an eyeroll at my mother's elation. She'd been curious about the 'Bombshell Bounty Hunter' from day one, and tonight after all my foot-dragging, they'd get to meet each other. I thought _I _should be more nervous than Stephanie.

I parked my Porsche in the driveway of the home I grew up in. There's always a sense of peace that comes over me when I come to see my parents. I'm not the same person who spent half his life inside this place, but I can look back and finally appreciate what I'd had - and who I'd been - when I lived here.

"_Wow_. The Manosos know how to live."

"My parents do alright."

"Do you think they'd let me move in?" She asked, her eyes moving in all directions over the multi-colored lights that were meticulously outlining the three story Colonial-style home.

"Yes, so I don't advise suggesting it."

"Gotcha."

The house is bright, open, and welcoming, just as my family is. I knew Steph would have a good time among them, but that could also be a potential problem. Once they'd realized how I actually felt about her, my mother and sisters have been after me to 'claim' her. And my bringing her to meet them will most likely incite a relationship riot. What surprised me, is that I no longer care about the shit they'll give me. I wanted this woman here with me, and nothing else mattered.

She'd shown up at my apartment an hour ago, wearing a long-sleeved but short black dress that did incredible things for an already amazing body. She'd added glittering silver stilettos that captured the light every time she neared the Christmas tree. I was starting to regret my invitation. I didn't want any of our time together intruded upon, even by my relatives through my own actions.

Her curiosity about my family and where I came from was the only thing that made me not cancel dinner and stay on seven with her. I knew she and my mother would be inseparable after they met, but the idea of that didn't concern me. If anything, I thought my mother would be good for Stephanie.

Different than the Plums in every way that matters, Alma and Marcello Manoso are warm, affectionate, open-minded yet heavily opinionated, people and Steph needed parents like the two of them watching over her. It has taken her over thirty years to finally accept and like who she is, and she was liked and accepted tonight by every Manoso present.

I was correct in assuming that, seeing Steph's hand wave me away when I quietly suggested it was time to go. I fought my impatience in getting her alone, and just sat back and watched her in action as she continued to win over my entire family. I gave her and them an hour more of the time I'd originally set aside for us, but then steered her towards the door, pointedly ignoring my mother's knowing grin.

"Where to, Babe?" I asked her in the car.

If she said her apartment, I was prepared to join her there for a while, not ready for our 'date' to end, but she had other ideas.

"I said I'd spend tomorrow with you so ... maybe it'd be easier to stay with you on seven tonight. Since you're an early riser and I'm definitely not, I'll probably forget it's Christmas morning if I go back to my apartment. So it makes sense to sleep over if you're okay with that."

"Do you know what that sounds like to me?"

"Yes. And that's exactly how I intended it. I want to be with you, Ranger. Christmas Day ... and pretty much every second before and after it. I even stocked up Rex's cage and brought your gift with me so I won't have to go back home until tomorrow. I forgot my pj's, though."

"If you stay with me ... you won't need any," I promised her. "This is more than I expected tonight."

"You know me. I act quickly when I decide to do something. And I'm finally ready to admit that you're who I want ... the guy I love."

"I love you, too."

"I get that now. Even when you're not telling me, you're showing me that you do. You didn't have to go through all of this for me ..."

"Through what?"

"Creating a permanent job for me at your company, allowing Ella to take over your apartment, or introducing me to your family. You've decided to celebrate something you usually try to ignore, just to make my life seem less sucky ... and it sure as hell worked. This turned out to be the best Christmas I've had in decades, and it still isn't over. I thought it would be just me, Rex, and dinner with my nutso family, but you've given me so much more."

"And you're giving me too much credit."

"No ... I'm not, but I don't want to argue."

"I don't, either. Your gift is waiting for you at my apartment."

"That's nice, but I don't care about the gift so much as seeing how your tree looks in the morning."

"My tree?"

"Well, I already know how _you _look."

"Your memory may need to be refreshed."

"Yeah ... it definitely does," she told me. "Probably more than once, too."

We headed back to Trenton, and I kept Stephanie tucked under my shoulder when we exited the car and took the elevator to my apartment. I put our coats away and turned to find her looking at me. I didn't give her a chance to think. I cupped her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers.

Every time we kiss, I get a jolt at how quickly heat flares between us. She's always so responsive to me, and one touch of her hands or mouth on my body and I was in danger of losing everything; my senses, control, and also my mind. And I see that happening again right now.

"Last chance," I told her. "You don't have to spend the night in my bed if you're not ready to."

"And if I am?"

"Then I don't know why we aren't already in it."

"Because you're suddenly too worried about hurting me, to actually love me."

"I can juggle both."

I scooped her up and carried her to my room. I set her back down by the bed, and proceeded to kiss her out of her dress, shoes, and also her lacy underwear. After I ditched my own clothes, she tugged me down on top of her and I put her mouth, hands, and body to very good use, matching my desire for her with hers for me.

When the moon was out, and my apartment was dark except for the white lights strung up around it, I left the bed, pulled on my discarded pants without buttoning them, and went to get her present off the tree.

"Grab my bag while you're prowling around out there," she told me, before I'd left the room.

I came back, put her shoulder bag and my gift for her on the bed, and shed my pants again. I waited until she was back in my arms, then I handed her the present I'd had made specifically for her.

She opened the jewelry box and studied the inch-long bullet made up of black and white diamonds, dangling from a thin platinum chain.

"You bought me _a bullet_?"

"I've bought you _many _bullets in the past, Babe."

"True, but this one ..."

"Provides three things."

"Oh yeah? What are they?"

"The first one is this will remind you to always have your gun loaded so I won't have to keep checking it."

She smiled up at me. "So really ... this is a _practical _gift?"

"Yes."

"Leave it to you to find a way of making a diamond encrusted necklace not seem frivolous. And the other reasons are ...?"

"To make sure you never forget that I'll always stand between you and any bullet coming your way."

Her smile instantly disappeared. "I don't want you to. You'll have a hard time protecting me, because I'll be trying to stand between you and the gun. Seeing _you _hurt is _much _worse than getting hurt myself."

"That's how it is for me. So I'd like to prevent that pain for both of us."

"What's the last thing?"

"The base of the bullet is rigged to a panic button. So I want you to promise me that this will stay on you at all times."

"What does it say about us, that this is the kind of thinking that goes into our gifts for each other?"

"It works for us," I told her, bending my head to press a kiss to her lips, loving how they immediately parted for me.

"Will you put it on me?" She asked, when I let her mouth go.

"Of course."

I've been waiting to see it on her body with nothing around it. I honestly didn't think it'd be tonight, but I wasn't going to question it ... only enjoy it and the fact that she's back in my bed again.

"Just like you, this is now where it belongs," I told her, as it rested against the ivory skin above her breasts. "And I'm serious. I want it on you _every day_."

"If you want, I'll let you inspect my chest each morning to make sure it is. Are you ready for your gift now?"

"I already have everything I want."

"Jeez. I thought you were dangerous just being naked, but that's nothing compared to you saying something that sweet while I get to ogle your muscles."

"Ogle away, but you don't have to limit yourself to just looking."

"Was that another invitation?" She asked.

"More like an order."

She rolled her eyes. "And we both know how much I love _those_."

"No, but you love me."

"I do." She tucked the sheet under her arms, picked up her bag, and dug around for a few seconds before handing me a slightly bigger box than the one I'd given her. "Merry Christmas."

I unwrapped it and cut my eyes to her.

"You're not kidding when you say you have everything, but I was trying to think like a '_Ranger_', and get you something you'd actually use. I figured a personal navigator would be one of those. And if you'd like a little company, I'm prepared to join you on any trip or workout you invite me on."

"You're volunteering to exercise?" I asked, expecting anything but that.

"Yeah. It's either _love _or _pure stupidity_, but you work long hours, and the time you set aside for working out can give us a chance to reconnect if I tag along. I think it still counts as quality time even though I'll probably be swearing at you during it."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll go easy on you."

"No you won't," she told me.

"No ... I won't, but since you offered, I'll take that into consideration when I'm planning the distance, difficulty, and location."

Her body momentarily went from soft and pliable to rigid.

"What did I just do?" She asked herself.

I felt compelled to answer. "You got yourself into a relationship with me, Babe. And now there's no escaping it or me."

I balled up all the wrapping paper and sunk it into the bin set near the wall containing the safe. I put my gift from her on my nightstand, then pulled Steph's naked body over mine, feeling the bullet and her breasts pressing into my chest. My objective has now shifted from just getting her here ... to getting her to agree to not leave.


End file.
